Governor-Elect Hogan to honor veterans and kick off his Thank-You Tour in historic St. Mary’s County tomorrow

ANNAPOLIS, MD – November 10 – In honor of Veterans Day, Governor-Elect Larry Hogan will personally thank and march alongside St. Mary’s County veterans in the annual Leonardtown Veterans Day Parade tomorrow. The county has the highest concentration of military veterans in Maryland.

The following St. Mary’s County officials proudly served our country in the military and will take part in tomorrow’s festivities: State Senator-Elect Steve Waugh (U.S. Marine Corps); Delegate Anthony J. O’Donnell (U.S. Navy); Delegate-Elect Deb Rey (U.S. Air Force); County Commissioner President-Elect Randy Guy (U.S. Air Force); County Commissioner Daniel L. Morris (U.S. Marine Corps); County Commissioner-Elect Tom Jarboe (U.S. Coast Guard); County Commissioner-Elect John O’Connor (U.S. Army); County Treasurer-Elect Christy Kelly (U.S. Navy); and Republican Central Committee Member-Elect David Willenborg (U.S. Navy).

The parade will begin at 10 a.m. at St. Mary’s Ryken High School, located at 22600 Camp Calvert Road, Leonardtown, Maryland 20650.

Veterans Day 2014 will mark the first day of the Governor-Elect’s Thank-You Tour, during which he will travel to every single county in Maryland to thank voters for their tremendous support in his historic election last Tuesday. “We’re starting in St. Mary’s County, which is located at the southernmost tip of Maryland on the Western shore of the Chesapeake Bay, and working our way up and out to the farthest reaches of our great state to thank voters,” said Governor-Elect Hogan.

“I cannot think of a better day or place to kick off my Thank-You Tour,” continued Governor-Elect Hogan. “I am honored to spend the first day of the tour thanking those Marylanders who deserve our utmost gratitude: the men and women of the Armed Forces who have valiantly defended our nation in times of war.”

St. Mary’s County, known as the “Mother County,” played a significant role in the early years of our state and country. St. Mary’s City was Maryland's first colonial settlement and capital, and it was in St. Mary’s City in 1648 that the women’s suffrage movement first took root. St. Mary’s County is home to the 71-year-old Naval Air Station Patuxent River, a center of excellence for naval aviation.

St. Mary’s County has personal significance for the Hogan family as well. “My daughter Jaymi’s husband and my son-in-law, Ben Sterling, comes from a long line of military men and women,” said Governor-Elect Hogan. “Ben’s grandfather, Army Captain Benedict Harris Sterling I, was a Bronze Star recipient in World War II. Captain Sterling and five of his brothers and one of his sisters fought in World War II. They came to be known as ‘the Sterling Seven,’—seven siblings from different branches of the Armed Forces all fighting together in World War II.”

The “Sterling House,” originally built in the 1850s, still stands On the Square in Leonardtown, near the start of the parade route.

“I am pleased to join our veterans tomorrow in a Maryland county that is steeped in history. May God bless our veterans, the brave members of our Armed Forces, and their families for their commitment and sacrifices—on Veterans Day and always,” said Governor-Elect Hogan.